


On Love and Lesser Feelings

by ToothPasteCanyon (DannyFenton123)



Series: Transcendence AU [3]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Transcendence (Gravity Falls), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22345759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DannyFenton123/pseuds/ToothPasteCanyon
Summary: After Mabel announces her pregnancy, Dipper and Henry talk on the roof.
Series: Transcendence AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1472837
Comments: 11
Kudos: 77





	On Love and Lesser Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by this drawing of Dipper and Henry by suitjackets on tumblr: https://suitjackets.tumblr.com/post/190353339182/tau-drawings-from-both-my-sketchbook-zine-and-my. Go check them out, they have a really awesome art style and their drawing helped me get some inspiration while I was stuck in writer’s block!

Dipper wished he had nothing but love for his family. There was so much love between them, but there were other emotions simmering beneath the surface, and emotions about those emotions - there was fear for them, there was anger at himself… and there was jealousy.

Dipper wished there wasn’t jealousy, but there it was. On most days it was small, negligible, but there were days when it flared up.

Mabel’s graduation struck a nerve deep within him. He stayed there for her - clapped spitefully loud to drown out the burning in his chest - but after the ceremony was over, he had to step away for a week to sulk in the Mindscape.

The wedding was another day. It was a happy day, and it was more annoying than anything else whenever he noticed it. He didn’t even want to be married, why was he being so childish about this?

(That was the point, he knew. He couldn’t not be childish, he couldn’t grow up a day beyond the Transcendence, and it  _ wasn’t fair-) _

The day Mabel told him she was pregnant, Dipper was suddenly struck by how  _ old _ his sister was. Despite the bright pink sweater she had on and her rambling scheme about filling the attic with a metric ton of glitter… she was an adult. She was married. She had her own business.

She was  _ having children… _ and where did that leave Dipper? Just hanging on for the ride?

He remembered sitting across from her, and it being hard to smile all of a sudden. Mabel went on, and Henry gave him a look.

He was summoned up on the rooftop that night. Henry had a pack of Pitt Cola, and he tossed one to Dipper as soon as he materialised.

“Hey,” Henry said. Dipper frowned.

“Hey?” He looked around. “What’s, uh, what’s up? Why are we outside?”

He shrugged. “It’s a pretty night. And I wanted to check in with you.”

“Check in with- oh, no, it’s fine!” He put his hands up. “You guys are- you’ve got babies coming, you have a lot of stuff to do! I’m fine, I’m…”

Henry was giving him a look. He trailed off.

“I’m fine, I’m… just… just uh, hanging out. In the Mindscape. Um, nothing unusual there. so… yeah?”

Henry motioned him over to the edge, and he reluctantly followed. Henry sat down, and Dipper sat down next to him, like an inferior being - hunched over where Henry sat up straight, looking down while Henry looked up at the stars, and smiled.

It was like that for a moment, before Dipper felt he had to break the silence.

“So…” He started, and then cleared his throat. “Uh, triplets. Yeah. That’s, that’s big.”

“We’re having triplets?”

Henry’s wide eyes swung over to him, and he cringed. “Oh, uh, I-I didn’t tell you yet? You are - or-or maybe not! It’s really early, it’s hard to tell!” He laughed nervously. “I probably, um, shouldn’t have dropped it on you like that, huh?”

“Don’t worry about it, Dipper.” Henry’s face was noticeably paler, but he shook his head. “Anyway, I wanted to check in on you after the news. You looked a little… conflicted, while we were talking.”

“I am happy for you guys! I seriously, I’m really excited!”

“I know you are.” Henry gave him a smile. “I know you are. But if you wanted to talk about something… well, go ahead. I know this is big.”

“I’m happy for you guys,” Dipper repeated. He looked down, down at his clawed hands, and frowned. Clenched them. “It’s… well, it’s nothing. It’s my own problem.”

“What is?”

“It’s - you don’t have to worry about it, it’s just-”

“Dipper. What is the problem?”

Dipper felt a hand on his shoulder. He flinched at it, then sighed, and sank down. Into his hands, he mumbled something.

“What was that?”

“-’m jealous.” Dipper looked down at the ground, anywhere but Henry’s face. “I don’t know, it’s just… Mabel and you, you’re doing great - and I’m happy for you! I’m really happy for you, but… I don’t know what I’m doing with my life.” He sank lower. “I’m just… tagging along with you guys.”

Henry didn’t say anything, but rubbed his shoulder. After a moment, he continued.

“I… I wanted to do things with my life. Before the Transcendence, I wanted to go to high school. Go to college. Get my own ghost hunting show, travel the world.” He sighed. “I suppose I can go all over the world now, but it’s different. It just… it’s not what I wanted to do with my life. None of this is what I wanted to do with my life.”

The owls were hooting. Dipper leaned into Henry, and stared out at the forest.

“I’m really, really happy for you guys,” he said, quietly. “But ever since the Transcendence, I feel like… I’ve just been stuck watching Mabel grow up. And she got to grow up, she got to do all these things, and I… I wish I got to do that, too.”

Beside him, Dipper felt Henry sigh.

“I’m sorry, Dipper.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “It’s not gonna happen, so I wish I could just stop being stupid about it already.”

“No, no, it… it sucks, and I’m sorry.” Henry held him tighter. “I’m sorry.”

Dipper swallowed hard. There was a lump in his throat.

“You can always talk to me about it, if you want to. And… I hope you know we’re happy you’re here.” Henry shifted in closer. “We’re happy you’re a part of our life, Dipper. You’re not just tagging along with us - you’re a part of our family.” He smiled. “You’re my brother.”

At that, Dipper buried his face into Henry’s shirt. Under a beautiful night sky the two of them held each other, and for a moment, there was nothing but love between them.


End file.
